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Referral Form All Programs
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You may complete this form and fax it to 734-547-0521.

Referring Workers (TC's, School Social Workers, Principals & Assistant Principals, PO's, Special Education staff, etc)
If you are having difficulty discussing COPE with a student or family, please call us for resources. We can also come to your site for a visit!
Program Descriptions
FAQs
Request Materials

Funders & Administrators (Superintendents, Directors, Grantors, etc)
Program Descriptions
FAQs
Reporting
Acknowledgment

To be included on our Weekly Enrollment List or Newsletter (via email or snail mail) please send an email to info@cope1.org with your name, contact info, and affiliation and which lists you'd like to be included on. COPE DOES NOT RENT, SHARE, OR SPAM!!!

Program Descriptions for Referring Workers
Formerly, COPE ran three programs. In the 2009/10 school year, COPE and COPE Intensive combined in to one program. This gives you the flexibility of referring any student for a half day or full day. It gives COPE the flexibility to more effeciently address student's needs. We will continue to have small class sizes. Some classes may have as few as five students, others with ten or twelve students. This allows for intensive instructional work for students whose skills are deficient and often leads to an improvement of several grade levels. Our program is an excellent opportunity for students to earn credit, and focus on academics where there have been barriers or distractions. Substance Abuse Prevention is part of the curriculum. Our intimate setting also allows for the creation of relationships between teacher and student. This is helpful for students with social or emotional challenges. The staff is diverse and experienced. Students who have had negative experiences with classmates or staff are often able to re-establish trust, self-esteem, and social skills while improving academic skills and earning credit.The staff is very experienced working in an alternative setting and with at-risk youth. There are more opportunities for one on one assitance from teachers than in a standard public school classroom. Many students who have participated in this program cite the individual attention and the chance to "start over" as reasons for their success. Students in need of individual attention are excellent candidates for this program. Students who do not generally find success in this program (but are NOT excluded from applying or attending) are students who have difficulty evaluating, acknowledging, or taking ownership of their behavior.

Middle School Alternative is a program for 10 to 12 year old students expelled under the state's "Weapons in School" Law. It is an intensive program, with a maximum of 10 spots. The most obvious advantage to the program is having a place for expelled students to learn, earn credit, stay on track and work on referring issues so that they may return to school with a stronger set of skills, rather than having been out of school 180 days. This program has a high rate of success, largely due to the ability to intervene at a younger age. The program is highly individualized based on students' referring issues.

FAQs for Referring Workers
There are two important factors in understanding how C.O.P.E. relates to students and school districts- individual plans for students, and voluntary enrollment. C.O.P.E. is designed to address the individual needs of students, therefore the answer to many questions regarding C.O.P.E. is “it depends on the student”. C.O.P.E. staff are willing to discuss with you individual students or situations. We encourage you to call or e-mail! The second factor is voluntary enrollment. One of the first things a student will be asked in an interview or intake is “Do you want to come to C.O.P.E.?” Most students say “yes”. Reluctant students are offered a chance to check out the program, and almost always agree to an initial effort. A student’s decision to enroll in C.O.P.E. is important. This is also why we encourage potential students to ask as many questions, as we do a school staff member, or a parent.

How do I begin to make a referral? Whose permission do I need?
This is dependent on each individual’s school district. Some school districts have detailed procedures regarding who needs to approve a referral before it is initiated. C.O.P.E. does not set restrictions on individual school districts. We can tell you if you have slots available for students, and tell you who it is you need to speak to in your district. However, it is important to check with administration within your school district. Additionally, we have materials to help you talk with potential students and their families. Introducing the idea to students and their parents is a delicate and crucial part of the process and we can help.

How do I make a referral?
Once you have determined that your district has approved of your referral, you will fill out an application for the appropriate program (C.O.P.E. or Middle School Alternative) and send it, generally via fax, to the contact information listed on the application. There is an application in pdf form at the top of this page.

What happens after I send an application?
If you are considering referring a Special Education student, it would be appropriate to first invite a Program Coordinator or our TC, Barb Fisher, to the IEP. Nate Reid will be receiving your application. He will review it, and then contact the referring worker. This can take up to 2 or 3 days, but a referring worker usually receives a response within 24 hours. If you have sent an application, and have not spoken with a C.O.P.E. representative in 48 hours, a follow-up call would be appropriate. After discussion between the referring school worker and the C.O.P.E. representative, the next step is dependent on the individual student. The program coordinator will want to meet with the student, the parents, and possibly the referring school worker to determine the appropriate placement and plans for the student. Once the student has been accepted and decided to enroll at C.O.P.E, transportation arrangements are made and a start date is set.

How much does it cost?
Slots are purchased by your district in the spring before the current academic year. Slot purchases are determined by a number of factors, and costs are listed on slot request forms. Any questions about slot costs or slot purchases should be directed to C.O.P.E.’s Executive Director, Robert Coller.

Can we do site visits?
Absolutely. However, please keep in mind that we are holding classes, and like to keep interruptions to a minimum. You may be asked to schedule in accordance with the best interest of our students. If you'd like to set up a visit, please contact us.

What if I want to make a referral and there are no slots for my district available? or Can we purchase slots in the middle of the year? C.O.P.E. will try to be as accommodating as possible, within the constraints of space and staffing. If your district is interested in discussing slot purchases, the appropriate administrator should contact C.O.P.E.’s Executive Director to discuss slot options.

What classes are offered at COPE?
This is largely dependent on the student’s needs. Typically, students take similar core credits as they would in their home school. However, special needs can often be accommodated. It would be appropriate to contact a Program Coordinator to discuss special circumstances.

How long can a student attend C.O.P.E.?
Again, this is decided on an individual basis. There is no set maximum length a student may attend C.O.P.E. The ultimate goal is to reintegrate students into their home school to work towards graduation. C.O.P.E. works with the referring school district to ensure a student stays for a length of time that is beneficial to that student.

Can students graduate from COPE?
No. C.O.P.E. does not grant diplomas. Credits will be recommended back to the home district.

How many credits / what classes can be earned?
Again, this dependents on which student in which program, working at which rate. However, on average a student earns a 1/2 credit per class per semester.

How many students, maximum, are allowed to attend C.O.P.E.?
The maximum number of students in any program (as a whole) is dependent on space and staffing. Currently there are approximately 80 spaces across all of the programs.

What are the age limits of students attending C.O.P.E.?
C.O.P.E. serves secondary education students. Generally, the age range is 10-18.

What kind of reports will I receive on a student attending C.O.P.E.?
Attendance is sent out by Administrative Assistant Kelly Garner. Enrollment info is emailed weekly by J.T. Todd. Grade, semester and progress report questions should be directed to each appropriate Program Coordinator. Please contact us if you need to be added to any mailing list.

Does C.O.P.E. have an attendance policy?
Each program sets their own rules for attendance. There is no set attendance policy, per se. However, since C.O.P.E. is a voluntary program, and students will only remain at C.O.P.E so long as it is benefitting them, students are expected to attend. Lack of attendance may be grounds for removal from a program.

Who provides transportation?
Transportation is the responsibility of the referring district. C.O.P.E. has no school bus, nor any other means to transport students. Transportation will be set up between the referring worker and the Program Coordinator, after the application has been accepted. Most districts are able to bus students. Some districts find it more cost effective to use a cab service, or other alternative means. Ann Arbor school district generally provides bus tokens for Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.

Is C.O.P.E. a Special Education program?
C.O.P.E. is an alternative education program with a special education component. By way of that nature, a large percentage of our students are Special Education Certified. However, our program is designed to assist students having “difficulty adapting to a traditional school setting”. We have special education endorsed staff among our staff members.

Which students are not served at C.O.P.E.?
The following students would benefit from a more restrictive and/or treatment based program:
•Students with a severe substance abuse issue (we believe that the substance abuse needs to be dealt with before educational programming will be effective)
•Students that are in need of inpatient psychiatric treatment
•Students who are chronically aggressive and assaultive towards others
•Students who have a chronic history of selling illegal substances
•Students who have a history of sexual assault
•Students whose behavior requires physical intervention and/or physical restraint

What are the qualifications of the C.O.P.E. staff?
• C.O.P.E. staff meet the same certification requirements as public school teachers.
• C.O.P.E. has one EI,LD endorsed teacher, and one teacher working towards her special education endorsement.
• C.O.P.E. has one staff member who is a state certified Substance Abuse Counselor.
• Psychologist- One C.O.P.E. staff member who is a Limited License Psychologist.

Materials Request
We currently have general information brochures, brochures for parents, and brochures for students. We also have newsletters available online, and limited availability of hard copies. If you would like any of these materials, please contact us and let us know what you need, in what quantities, and where they need to be sent. There are also annual reports for each district available.

Program Descriptions for Administrators
COPE provides programs serving students, age 10-18, from every school district in Washtenaw County, and the Juvenile Court. We serve approximately 115 students per year in small, intensive classrooms. Credit recommendations are reported back to the referring school. COPE provides an opportunity to prevent drop-outs, improve academic skills, and have students return to their home school on a path for success.

For more detailed information on individual programs, see program descriptions for referring workers.

FAQ's for Administrators and Funders
What is COPE doing to keep its programs affordable? We know that cost is an important issue and we strive to keep our quality, intensive programming affordable. 35+ years of conscientious accounting, forecasting district needs, and new efforts in fundraising all help to keep costs down.

What happens when a student is removed from a COPE program? Despite our best efforts, not every student will experience success in our programs. There are students we can not serve, such as a dangerously violent student. It is essential for referring staff, referring administrators and COPE staff to communicate. In the 2008/09 school year, COPE distributed our discipline policy to school contacts. If you have questions in advance of referring a student, please contact us. We encourage you to set-up processes within your own district to communicate and monitor what is happening with your students while they attend COPE. We are happy to assist by meeting with you and your staff, at your convinence. Through this process we all can help to monitor if a student is in need of further help, try to intervene and, if necessary, create alternate plans for the student. As part of our recent planning process, student transitions and assisting schools in next steps for students removed from the program were identified as priorities.

I need detailed population information, such as age, gender, reading grade levels, special education certifications or referring issues. Information, provided it does not violate the confidentiality of our students is available. Please contact us with your specific request.

What kind of testing does COPE do? We test students academically upon entering and exiting the program. Beginning in the 08/09 school year, COPE invested in the Woodcock-Johnson test to more accurately assess students' skills. For information on specific students, please contact us. We also perform tests to measure changes in attitudes through our Substance Abuse Prevention component. Any standardized testing, such as the MEAP is the responsibility of the referring school. We will work to make it convienent, such as providing space and time for referring school staff to work with a student.

What are COPE's funding sources? COPE is funded through grants, individual donors, and school support.

Reporting
We are committed to accurate and timely reporting. If you have a question, concern or suggestion about reporting, please contact us . We have also created annual summaries to school superintendents, administrators and referring workers. In the 07/08 school year, we first used short online surveys to communicate with and report back to funders and referrers.

Acknowledgement
COPE acknowledges all funders (unless otherwise preferred) in written materials, such as our newsletters. If you would like to add, change or suggest an acknowledgement, please contact us. Also, our Development Coordinator seeks out opportunities for public recognition of COPE and our collaborators. If you have a suggestion or idea - let us know!